FEDSAT

Australia's first scientific satellite in a generation

Science Minister McGauran announced the FEDSAT project in the 1996/97
budget. He asked CSIRO to lead the project, which is essentially the flagship
of Commonwealth space activities. The objective is to build a small scientific
satellite and launch it during 2001, the centenary of the Commonwealth of
Australia.

Minister McGauran asked CSIRO, in conjunction with universities and industry,
to prepare a funding bid for a Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) from which
the FEDSAT project would be carried out. This bid, for the "Co-operative
Research Centre for Satellite Systems", was presented to the Department
of Industry in November 1996, and has the following partners:

CSIRO

University of South Australia

Queensland University of Technology

University of Newcastle

AUSPACE Ltd

VIPAC Scientists and Engineers Ltd

Optus Ltd

MITEC Ltd

University of Technology, Sydney

La Trobe University

Curtin University of Technology

Defence Science and Technology Organisation

D-Space Ltd.

If the CRC proposal is accepted, the Hon. Tony Staley, Federal President
of the Liberal Party and Chair of the CRC Association, will be the Chairman
of the Board; Dr Brian Embleton, Head of COSSA, will be the Executive Director,
and Professor Michael Miller of the University of South Australia will be
the Deputy Executive Director.

Earlier in April 1997 the Department of Industry Science and Tourism,
which operates the CRC scheme, asked the proponents to prepare a supplementary
submission, with additional details on the CRC research program. This submission
is under preparation, and the CRC bid remains under consideration within
the current (1996/97) CRC round. The other CRCs to be supported under this
round were announced in December 1996.

As planned by the CRC partners, FEDSAT-1 will be a microsatellite of
about 50 kg mass, in a low Earth orbit of approximately 1000 km altitude.
The preferred orbital plane at this stage is a low inclination one, to promote
inter-satellite and ground to ground communication using FEDSAT and the
planned small satellite missions of neighbouring countries over the same
time period.

Education and training: About a dozen professional staff in participating
companies will, over the next 7 years (the development and operations period
for FEDSAT), gain hands on experience in space missions. Several dozen graduate
students, academics and research agency staff will gain hands-on experience
in space technology and science, will help design and test payloads, and
will take part in experiments and research based upon the operation of those
payloads. This group will form the skilled resource base for follow-on space
missions, for which the CRC will help develop a commercial market while
also maintaining a public interest market.

The launch vehicle is yet to be selected, but a number of options are
available to the partners.

CSIRO, on behalf of the CRC partners, will be regularly updating information
on FEDSAT through CSIRO Space Industry News.